


Notes, Denial and Lies

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Category: Kid vs. Kat (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Drama & Romance, Fluff, Gen, Heavy Angst, Kat turns himself into a human, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:03:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12751596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: (Working title)Kat finally admitted to himself that he feels the exact opposite of hate for his dear nemesis. He knows his feelings would never be requited, though, so he resolves to keep quiet about the matter. Unfortunately, the mere fact that he's realized has created a domino effect, and at some point he's going to have to come clean. The problem is, not everyone's going to be happy about it when he does.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had this up on FFN, but I discontinued it because I dropped that site entirely. Thus, I'm posting it here, because the DRAMA I had in mind, the angst that's going to happen... Hell no, I'm not giving all that up!

It was a cowardly thing to do, Kat knew that. He knew it yet that didn't stop him from grabbing some paper, a pen, and writing down all of his stupid conflicting emotions until his paws hurt.

_When he destroys one of my machines, I know I should feel annoyed. Instead I feel admiration and respect._

He didn't even bother to write it in his own language. He wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to be caught or not, though. Maybe he subconsciously did, because as far as he knew he would die of embarrassment and horror (and probably some fatal injuries) if the subject of these notes ever found said notes.

_When he mocks me, my appearance or my people, I know I should be irritated, offended and want to strangle him. Instead I feel horrified with myself and want to crawl under a rock until the end of time._

He didn't even know what he was doing at this point by trying to deny it. There was what he should feel, what he should want to do with this annoyance, but then there was what he  _did_  feel and what he  _truly_ wanted to do with the annoyance, who he knew wasn't really the source of his irritation. What he should want and what he did want were so vastly different that he knew exactly what it was he felt, but he also didn't dare say it even in the dark recesses of his mind.

_When he laughs or smiles at that blonde girl, I know I should not care, or should at least come up with a way to use her in some scheme. Instead I feel a hate for the girl that makes me want to snap her neck. It makes me wish_ -

He stopped his pen. He was a few words away from finally admitting to himself what he'd known all along. Consequences flew through his head, thoughts of what would happen if someone were to find this note. He wasn't all that worried about Doctor K finding it, since she was all the way back home. Millie didn't even know about this scratching post lair. He knew the one person he feared finding it could very well find it if he wasn't careful with where he hid it.

Still, he never cared much about consequences before. He'd be sure to hide it well.

_It makes me wish that he would love me too._

He finally did it. He did it and now that he'd opened the dam, a flood was going to come through.

_Why can he not see the looks of respect I give him when he's defeated me? Why can he not see that I would change anything and everything about myself if he would like me just a bit better? Why can he not love me as well?_

He knew the answers to all of those questions. It was very simple, really. It tore at his heart and made him want to throw an absolute tantrum, but it was the undeniable truth. And he wrote that answer down at the bottom of the page, ignoring the fact that his heart felt like it was physically breaking as he did so.

_Because he hates me._

That fact was plain as day. He needed to get that through his skull, because hoping or believing otherwise would only cause him even more pain than now. Knowing this, he pulled out another piece of paper and wrote it again.

_He hates me._

_He_ _**hates** _ _me._

_He will_ _**always** _ _hate me._

He clenched the pen tightly in his paw. He felt warm liquid on his lip and realized that he'd bitten it. He wiped it away quickly before writing his final sentence.

**_Coop Burtonburger will_ ** **_never_ ** **_love me._ **

He breathed heavily, finally placing the pen down, and lowering his head onto his arms, as he started to cry.

What had that accomplished? Absolutely nothing. All he'd managed was to tear his own heart out and shred it into bits. But it was done, and it was necessary as well. It was better that he break his own heart now, than give himself false hope and end up even more hurt in the long run.

After crying for who knows how long, he ended up falling asleep, the release of all those pent up feelings left him emotionally drained. He would hide the notes when he awoke.


	2. Chapter 2

When Kat awoke, he was, at first, confused as to why he had fallen asleep on his desk. Then he saw his notes and almost started crying again. His big bold handwriting stared up at him, mocking him with what he knew to be the truth.

_**Coop Burtonburger will** _ _**never** _ _**love me.** _

He stared at the paper for a few more minutes, torturing himself but knowing that he had to get it into his mind. There was no room for doubt on that matter.

" _What did I ever really expect, though?_ " he mewed to himself in his own language. He folded up the two pieces of paper and scanned the area for a good hiding spot.

He moved around the room, trying to find a good place where Coop wouldn't find it, nor would Doctor K see it when he was talking with her on his video phone. It was easier than he thought, and he tucked it behind the large screen, catching it on the wires and bolts so it didn't fall.

With that done, Kat started to leave his lair. He moved slowly, though he couldn't say if it was because he was hesitant to face Coop after his self-admission, or if he was letting said admission sink in. Either way, he took his sweet time jumping out of the opening on his lair, landing safely on his kitty bed in Millie's room. One glance at the clock on the girl's nightstand told him that Burt would wake up Coop and Millie for breakfast in just a few minutes. That meant he had a short amount of time to collect himself before facing Coop for the day.

 _'This is ridiculous. I've always_ known _of my feelings, even if I never acknowledged them before last night. I should have no reason to act any differently.'_

That was what he told himself, anyway, but he still decided to exit Millie's room before they woke up. With any luck, he would finish his bowl of food before they even got downstairs and he would be able to leave the kitchen without having to interact with Coop.

Of course, when did he ever have that kind of luck?

When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw the very fifteen year old he wanted to avoid, holding a granola bar in one hand and writing on paper with another. Still, he seemed to be deeply concentrating, so maybe they wouldn't have to talk (or meow, in his case) anyway.

Kat walked over to his food bowl, and began to eat what was in there. He ate quickly, and by the time he'd finished Coop hadn't acknowledged his presence in the slightest. He started to walk out of the kitchen, ready to go curl back up in his bed...

"What, no thanks?"

Coop's voice made him freeze, and he turned his head, his confusion showing on his face. Coop was still staring down at his paper, but he continued to talk.

"Did you not notice that my dad's not up yet? I figured I have a big presentation at school today, and even though you  _probably_  wouldn't bother doing anything to mess it up, I thought I should make sure. I did something nice for you, so I don't want you to mess anything up."

Kat was rather confused. While it was true that Coop would never feed him, it seemed like a given that if his father hadn't done it yet, then Coop should do it to avoid trouble. Still, Coop was asking for a truce of sorts, even if it was only for the day. That was enough to make Kat nod in agreement.

"Mew," he said, and left the room. He heard Coop sigh in relief as he walked back up the stairs.

 _'After all...'_  he thought, curling up in his bed. He hesitated before continuing his train of thought, knowing it was a dangerous one.

_'Even if he never loves me back, that doesn't mean I can't show him my affections.'_

* * *

Later in the day, Kat was curled up on the couch, staring at the television. Millie insisted on leaving it on for him, even though as far as she knew he was a regular housecat. Even at thirteen she had a wild imagination, and didn't want him to be 'bored' while he was alone.

He heard the door slam, signaling that Coop had arrived home. He quickly closed his eyes, not really wanting to have to socialize with him in any way, shape or form.

"Kat, I know you're awake."

Mentally cursing Coop's observation skills, he opened his eyes hesitantly. Why did he feel the need to talk though? Coop could have easily walked past him and into his room or the kitchen... He didn't have to speak with Kat.

"I'm confused. You didn't mess up my speech today."

Ah. That was it. Coop didn't trust him.

Then again, you couldn't really blame him.

Kat just nodded his head, giving him a look that said, 'Yeah, so?'

Coop examined him carefully for a moment before carefully giving him a small smile.

"So, I guess even evil alien felines are capable of keeping their word."

Even Kat had to smile at that, knowing that it was certainly well-deserved.

Coop hesitated for a moment, making Kat wonder what he was going to say.

"Thanks, I guess."

...Well  _that_  was unexpected. Kat did his best not to show his shock on his face though, and just nodded.

Coop's next words, though they stung a bit, sounded more like him.

"Don't even bring that up though! We both know that tomorrow we're going back to hating each other."

Kat didn't even nod at that. He just jumped off the couch, and stalked upstairs, ignoring the way Coop had flinched when he walked past, as if he were going to attack. He made it all the way to Millie's room, and barely was able to slam the door behind him before he let silent tears fall down his face.

_'Maybe you will go back to hating me, Coop. But I... I have not hated you since you were ten.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Kat narrowed his eyes at the stupid wires in his collar. A simple modification, you'd think, wouldn't be so difficult to do. But within the past hour, he'd managed to make the collar blow up in a mini explosion  _twice_ , and once he almost thought he'd done it, but then he saw that some of the other weapons and such weren't working.

Suddenly the door to the shed opened, and Kat immediately felt Coop's angry presence as he noticed what he was up to.

"What are you doing this time?!" he screamed. Kat huffed. He didn't particularly feel like fighting right now. He reached for some paper and a pen, and scribbled a message before handing it to the teen.

_It isn't evil. I'm just trying to fix something on my collar._

Coop gave him a skeptical look, not that Kat could really blame him. Kat wrote another message.

_If it will make you feel better, you can sit there and watch. I should almost be done anyway._

Of course, he was far from done. But he wouldn't mind having some company, especially not if it was Coop.

"That depends. What are you fixing?"

...Kat was honestly surprised that he didn't see that coming. Still, if it would get him to stop worrying, Kat would happily tell him.

_It's a special translator. It should allow me to speak in English._

Coop seemed surprised that that was what he was trying to do, though he tried to hide it. He gave Kat yet another skeptical look before pulling over a stool and sitting next to him, watching carefully as Kat turned back to the damn wires.

Ah, there was the problem. This wire was completely fried. If he kept that in, there was bound to be something that wouldn't work. He carefully removed the wire and replaced it with a small piece of metal, which would probably work as a good electric conductor in the wire's place. He didn't have time to move things around so he could put a new wire in. He sealed up the back and put it on his neck, then looked at Coop.

"Well? Say something, see if it works," he said. Kat hesitated, worried about what his human voice would sound like. What if it was weird?

He shook it off though. If he didn't say something, Coop would think he'd lied.

"Hello Coop."

He sounded relatively normal, he supposed. Kind of like a deeper-pitched Dennis voice.

"Hello Kat," Coop said, smirking slightly. Kat chuckled, then began to move some of the parts off of the table, while Coop stood up to go grab his skateboard and helmet.

"Coop, hurry up! Lorne and Harley are waiting for us!" Dennis called, as he too stepped into the shed. He looked over at Kat, his eyes narrowed at all the spare parts on the table in front of him.

"I'm coming! Sorry, I thought Kat was doing something freaky," Coop said, walking over to Dennis with his helmet on his head and his skateboard tucked under his arm.

"He's not?"

"Nah, nothing that will destroy the planet anyway."

"But he is doing something?" Dennis asked, raising an eyebrow in the alien's direction. Kat decided to speak up.

"I assure you, Dennis, all I was doing was adding a translator to my collar."

Dennis blinked slowly, and very carefully took a step backwards.

"Right. Okay. Uh, Coop, let's get going," he said, his wide eyes staying on Kat, like he was hallucinating. Kat just rolled his eyes.

The two boys left, Dennis still in slight shock, and Kat stayed in the shed, mulling over his next move.

He could always form a truce with Coop, but chances were that his leader would want him to start back with preparing the invasion soon. If Coop caught him working on any sort of evil machine, any truce they had would be terminated without another thought.

There was  _one_ way he could form a truce with the teen, and delay the invasion for a while longer. But it was rather risky...

"Why am I even considering this? I've established that he doesn't love me," he murmured. The notes he'd written flashed in his mind, tugging at his heartstrings.

_**Coop Burtonburger will never love me.** _

He released a shaky breath as he came to a very dangerous conclusion.

"Though he will never love me, I can show him  _my_  love for him."

However, it would also mean blowing his cover to Millie and Burt. But it would be fine, as long as he established that he had no intentions on invading earth any time soon.

With that in mind, he began the blueprints for his new machine, hoping that he could soon consider Coop, at the very least, a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

The machine ended up being more complicated than Kat had anticipated. Which was saying a lot, because he'd already expected it to be pretty difficult to put together anyway.

Finally, Kat was screwing in the final bolt on his large ray gun. If he weren't on a stool, the machine would have easily been five inches taller than him. As if figuring out how to aim it at himself wasn't going to be hard enough...

Luckily, just as he had that thought, Coop and Dennis opened the door to the shed and stepped in. He took notice of their hostile expressions and quickly made use of his new verbal skills, knowing that otherwise his day-long project would be no more than a pile of rubble.

"It isn't evil. I am using it for selfish purposes, but it's nothing that will destroy you or the planet."

Dennis still seemed skeptical, while Coop looked like he was ready to listen. His guard was still up, but hey, he was listening.

"I'm going to use it to become a human," Kat said, before either of them could ask. Both teens' heads snapped to stare at him in shock. Kat said no more, he simply waited for one of them to come to their senses. It took less time than he thought it would.

"Why would you want to be a human?"

Kat wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He decided to go with a partial truth.

"If I am being honest, my leader will want me to prepare for the invasion soon. However, as much as I don't really want to admit it, I have grown fond of this planet. If I become a human, then I can pass it off as a mishap from an explosion of sorts, and tell him that I won't be at my best if I am in a completely different body. I'll just say that it will wear off eventually, but that I'm not sure when. That would also prevent him from sending a substitute in my place, if I were to say that..."

At some point during his ramble, he was talking more to himself than the two boys in front of him. Still, he could tell that they'd heard what was important.

"Coop, would you mind shooting me with the beam? It's too large for me to be able to aim it at myself, and I didn't think about installing a timer sadly."

Coop's eyes narrowed, but not suspiciously. More like he was confused and trying to find answers by squinting really hard or something.

"Why me?" he asked. Kat hesitated for just a moment, before steeling his nerve and looking Coop dead in the eye, his mouth curled into a small smirk.

"Well, if I must tell you, I trust you more than I trust Dennis."

The boys both blinked owlishly at Kat, as Coop's mouth opened, but then closed as the owner could find nothing to say in reply. Kat almost thought his cheeks were stained a pale pink for a moment, but he disregarded it as a trick his mind was playing on him. As soon as this was done, he'd need a nap...

"Fine," Coop managed to choke the word out. Kat smiled as he jumped down from the stool and stood patiently on the ground as Coop went to aim it.

"So, I just... Press this button?" Coop said uncertainly, his finger hovering over the large green button.

"That's right. Is it aimed properly?" Kat asked. Coop adjusted the angle slightly before confirming it with a nod. Kat smiled.

"Then fire away."

Coop pressed the button, and a green beam of light shot out of the gun. Dennis and Coop covered their eyes as it almost blinded them, and Kat stood there, feeling his body morph and shape.

It hurt a lot more than he'd thought it would.

When it was over, he was kneeling in pain, his eyes closed tightly as the pain slowly went away. He heard Coop and Dennis walking over to check on him, but didn't stand as another realization came over him.

"Kat? Does it still hurt?" Coop asked. Kat wasn't sure if his voice was curious or concerned, but he shoved off his hopes before they could even begin.

"Not really, but in case you hadn't noticed,  _I'm kind of naked._ "

He didn't really know how to categorize the strange sounds the boys made, though 'embarrassed' probably fit the best. He heard them running out of the shed, and after a few minutes where he wondered if he was supposed to follow, they came back and he looked up, keeping his lower half hidden, to see that Coop was holding a towel, holding it out for him to take. Both of them were looking away and covering their eyes, their cheeks stained light pink in embarrassment.

"Tie this on your lower half and we'll get you inside for something more permanent," Coop said. Kat took it graciously and quickly wrapped it around himself.

"Are your dad and Millie inside?" Kat asked once Coop and Dennis uncovered their eyes. Coop shook his head.

"Dad's at work and Millie's at Phoebe's house. They'll be back soon though, so we should hurry if we're going to get you dressed."

Kat quickly nodded his head in agreement and followed Coop inside. Dennis went to the front yard, so that if Burt or Millie got home he could stall them for a bit.

When they arrived in Coop's room, Kat stood awkwardly in the middle of the floor while Coop went and grabbed a purple polo shirt and some jeans from the back of his closet. He brought them over to Kat and quickly left the room, leaving Kat to try and get dressed.

* * *

It took longer than Kat would like to admit, but he finally managed to pull on the clothes as the car pulled into the driveway. He left Coop's room, and found Coop standing in the hallway.

"So, what's the plan? How are you gonna convince them that you're you?"

"I'm not sure," Kat replied honestly. He really hadn't thought this far ahead. Coop sighed.

"Well, they're already here. We're gonna have to wing it."


	5. Chapter 5

When Coop and Kat went downstairs, Burt and Millie were just coming inside.

"Hey there Coop! Who's your friend?" Burt asked, his eyes falling on Kat. Kat gulped nervously, stepping forward slightly.

"Hello Mister Burtonburger. It's nice to be able to talk to you."

Burt just smiled, raising an eyebrow as he remained oblivious.

"Nice to meet you as well. What's your name?"

"Ah... Well, sir, we've met before," Kat said, his stomach in knots as he tried to explain. Burt's confused gaze only made it worse. He looked like he was about to say something, but Millie spoke before he could.

"Daddy! He has kitty cat ears! Why can't I have ears like that?" she whined, reaching over to poke one of his ears. It twitched instinctively, and Kat felt kind of relieved. The ears would make this whole thing easier to believe.

"Maybe he'll let you borrow them later," Burt said. Kat smiled nervously, searching for words. Lucky for him, Coop jumped in.

"Hey, why don't we all sit down on the couch so my friend can explain himself?"

Ah, great. Coop was leaving him out to dry. And, don't get him wrong here, it wasn't like Kat was averse to them being friends, but since when did  _Coop_  say that they were friends?

Still, the look on Burt's face said that he was starting to get concerned with his son's odd behavior, not to mention the fact that those cat ears looked too real upon closer inspection. So he and Millie went to sit down on the couch. Kat stood in front of them, messing around with his new human hands as he tried to find a way to explain things.

"Why don't you tell us your name, for starters?" Burt asked, his voice gone from hospitable and friendly to suspicious and worried. Kat inhaled, then exhaled slowly, giving the pair on the couch a sheepish and somewhat nervous smile.

"You can just call me Kat."

Burt's eyebrows rose high on his forehead, and the expression would have been almost comical if Kat wasn't so panicked and tongue-tied at the moment. Before the grown man could reply, Millie jumped up.

"Hey, that reminds me! Where's Mister Kat? Coop, what'd you do to Mister Kat?!"

Coop, who had been standing behind Kat the whole time, opened his mouth to say that he hadn't done anything, but Burt spoke before he could.

"Millie, wait and listen to wait this boy... Kat... Let's listen to what he has to say. I... I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here."

"You are?" Coop asked, feeling relieved that perhaps this explanation would go easier than he'd expected. Burt simply nodded, waiting for either Kat or Coop to confirm his suspicions. Kat turned to Millie, kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

"You've grown so much, Millie. I can still remember the day you found me. Hard to believe it's been so long..."

Millie's jaw dropped, as the realization of who Kat was seemed to finally hit her.

"M... Mister Kat? Is... Is it really you?"

Kat just smiled and nodded. Millie stared at him in shock and disbelief, reaching again to poke at the ears on his head. Kat smiled, letting out a soft laugh, when Burt spoke up.

"Listen, Kat, although I'm sure I have an inkling of an idea of how you're suddenly a human, why don't you tell us yourself?"

Kat sighed, standing up straight and running a hand through his new hair.

"Well, Mister Burtonburger, Coop was, and always has been, telling the truth about me. I'm an alien."

Burt sighed, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and index finger. Millie just stared at Kat's face, her eyes still wide and uncomprehending.

"Okay, Kat. Based on what Coop has told me, I shouldn't trust you enough to not call the government and have you taken away. But I  _also_  should have no reason at all to believe you're even really Mister Kat, let alone an alien, so I'll go ahead and give you the benefit of the doubt. Tell me,  _why_  are you suddenly a human, and  _why_  should we trust you?"

"The reason that I'm suddenly a human is a fairly simple one, sir. I used a machine to change myself into this form, because I've grown to care quite a bit about this planet, and its inhabitants."

He gave Millie a smile, and the girl finally snapped out of her disbelieving trance. She wrapped Kat in a hug, clinging to him tightly. Kat chuckled softly, gently patting her head. His face took on a slightly sadder expression as he continued his explanation.

"But I know that my leader will want me to start the invasion soon, so I have given myself this new form so that I can tell him that it was a simple mishap. Although I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay like this without suspicion, I promise that I won't allow any harm to come to you or your family, Mister Burtonburger."

Kat looked Burt in the eye, completely serious and nothing but honest.

"However, it's your choice if you decide to believe me," he said. Burt stared at him, somewhat amazed. After only a few moments, his gaze turned to Coop, who still stood behind Kat.

"Well, Coop? What do you think? Can we trust Kat?"

Kat turned his head to glance at Coop, and met his eyes. He couldn't tell what the boy was thinking, and he swore his heart had never pounded harder than in that moment.

"I think we can trust him."

Coop gave Kat a small smile, and Kat smiled back, tension that he didn't even know he had already releasing as he wrapped his arms around Millie. The poor girl still hadn't released her grip on him.

So Kat would be staying, in his human form, even as Millie and Burt knew his true origins. Because Coop, of all people on the planet, trusted him.

That was... Nice. He liked having Coop trust him. But still, he hadn't told Coop the whole story of why he'd changed himself, and that caused him to feel somewhat guilty.

_**Coop Burtonburger will never love me.** _

The words from his notes flashed through his mind once more. Yes, that was all. He was only sparing himself immeasurable pain this way. It wasn't really 'lying' anyway, it was just leaving certain details out.

_'I said that I care about Earth's inhabitants, didn't I? I do care about Millie and Burt, so there was no reason to single out specific people.'_

Kat told himself that in his thoughts as Millie finally released her hold on him. Burt spoke up, then.

"If Coop says we can trust you, then we'll do just that. Are you okay with sleeping in Coop's room?"

Kat stared at Burt with wide eyes.

"Sleeping  _where_  in Coop's room?" he asked. Last he remembered, there was only one bed in there!

"You can just use Coop's sleeping bag until we find you your own mattress" Burt responded.

"That's... That will be perfectly fine, sir," Kat replied, hoping his face wasn't as red as he thought it was.

* * *

It was only a few hours later when Kat was getting himself situated on the floor in Coop's sleeping bag. Coop walked in, pulling on his pajama shirt as he approached Kat. He knelt down on his knees, and the two boys stared at each other, waiting for the other to talk.

It was Kat who broke the silence.

"Do you really trust me?" he asked, and damn it he hated himself in that moment for even  _asking_ that stupid question. He swore he heard his own voice crack, but Coop didn't seem to notice.

"Well... Yeah. I know that I really shouldn't, but when I looked at you earlier, when you asked me to shoot you with that ray and transform you... And even when you were talking to dad earlier... I could just tell that you were being totally honest."

Kat was silent, staring at Coop, feeling somewhat mystified by the boy in front of him. Before he could offer a reply, though, Coop spoke again.

"Truthfully though, I can't get rid of a nagging feeling that there's something that you're not bringing up."

Kat's breath hitched. Coop tilted his head, his eyes narrowed just a fraction before he stood up and headed to his bed.

"We should get to sleep. Dennis, Fiona and I are hanging out tomorrow. I guess you're now included in that plan."

Ice ran through Kat's veins.

"Goodnight, Kat."

"Night, Coop," he replied mechanically, laying down and curling up on his side. He closed his eyes but didn't yet fall asleep. That one name, that one factor that continued bounce around in his head. He'd completely forgotten to consider  _that_  variable.

_Fiona._


	6. Chapter 6

Kat walked down the street, a scowl on his new human face and a snickering Coop at his side.

"Millie just automatically assumed I would still eat cat food. Why would she think I would still eat cat food? I'm not even a cat anymore!"

"Technically you weren't an actual earth cat before, either."

"Not the point," Kat muttered, crossing his arms and staring down at the sidewalk with a pout. Coop just snickered again before patting Kat on the back.

"Don't worry. I managed to keep her away from our lunch bags," he said, holding up the two paper bags in his hands. Kat rolled his eyes.

"You mean you kept her away from the  _contents,_ " he pointed out, referring to the fact that his had fish and rats and cat faces drawn on it. Coop just snickered yet again, taking no measures to hide it whatsoever. Kat rolled his eyes, deciding to change the subject.

"Why are we walking straight to the park instead of getting Fiona and Dennis to walk with us? They're both next door to your house."

"Fiona had to leave early so that Old Lady Munson wouldn't catch her with me."

Kat snickered under his breath, and Coop rolled his eyes.

"And anyway, Dennis went to catch up with her so he could prepare her for seeing you."

"Fair enough," Kat replied. He never had liked Fiona, for obvious reasons, but then again it wasn't like it was a competition. Kat against Fiona for Coop's affections? He had been knocked out before she even came into the picture, so the best thing he could do right now was to simply become friends with Coop. And that meant being friends with Fiona as well.

Kat was so busy thinking about that, he barely noticed when they had stepped into the park's picnic area. Shaking himself from his reverie, he hesitantly returned the wave that Dennis was giving them.

Seeing Dennis wave caused Fiona to turn around, and she instantly tensed, not even having the presence of mind to wave or say hello as they approached.

"Hey, Fiona!" Coop said immediately, plopping himself down next to Dennis and across from Fiona.

"Um, hey Coop. And... Kat."

Her eyes were wide in wonder, and Kat awkwardly stood there, not sure if he was trusted.

"Hi, Fiona," he said quietly. Dennis looked at him, eyebrows raised in mild shock from hearing his quiet tone. Coop didn't react all that much, because he had heard it all afternoon yesterday during lunch and dinner and every time between until they'd gone to bed.

Fiona cleared her throat awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"Are you gonna sit down?" she asked. Kat nodded, sitting down on her side of the table, but not close enough to her to qualify as 'next' to her.

"Is he okay?" Dennis whispered to Coop, as if Kat wasn't able to hear them.

"He was fine before we got here," Coop said, looking at Kat with a concerned gaze that made Kat blush and turn his gaze to the table.

"You guys don't trust me, do you? So I have every right to be nervous," he said simply. He didn't say it as if he were being sarcastic or mean, but rather like it was the truth.

"But I trust you. I wouldn't have told my dad that I trust you if I didn't," Coop pointed out, looking slightly hurt that Kat would doubt him. Kat shrugged dismissively.

"So, they know now, that you're an alien? How'd it go?" Fiona asked, looking right at Kat. Despite him knowing she expected an answer from him, Kat stayed silent, and simply shrugged again.

"Kat had to have a lot of patience with Millie this morning," Coop said, snickering yet again as he brought out their lunch bags.

"She tried to feed me cat food!" Kat whined. He heard Fiona and Dennis laugh in amusement, and Kat could only huff.

"Did you keep  _any_  of your cat-traits? Besides the ears, I mean," Dennis asked, and Kat seriously thought about that for a moment.

"I'm fine with water now. I do prefer fish, but overall I can eat any human food. And I haven't come across any catnip yet," he answered.

"I heard you can make catnip into a tea, and it can have the same effect on humans," Fiona mentioned.

"I'm not drinking catnip tea," Kat said flatly, causing the other three to laugh once again. He smiled a little, feeling more confident now.

They all sat there eating their lunches, talking and joking. Kat  _almost_  felt like they had begun to trust him. But, knowing it was no more than wishful thinking, he simply smiled, laughed, made simple comments and went along with what they were doing.

It wasn't long before they all agreed to head over to Coop's house, all of them laughing and talking on the walk over.

"Hey, we should play some video games when we get there. We can finally try and play on teams!" Dennis said suddenly, and Coop looked at Kat, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you think, Kat? Wanna be on my team?" he asked. Kat considered it for a moment.

"I don't see why not," he agreed. It sounded like a better pastime than Millie's tea parties, anyway. He watched as Dennis and Coop debated which game they should play, while Fiona made her own comments here and there. Since he had no clue what they were talking about, he just watched in silence.

"Hey! I know!"

Coop's sudden exclamation caused the other three to look at him questioningly. He just smiled innocently, and turned to Kat.

"Remember forever ago, when you and I switched bodies?"

Kat's eyes lit up in realization. That had been one of the most chaotic days of his life, even by their standards. Of course he remembered that - And he also remembered the game that he starred in as a result from all of it.

Dennis and Fiona grinned at each other.

"It has been a while since we've played that one," Fiona agreed. They just so happened to be arriving at Coop's house at that point, so they headed inside to the living room. Millie, however, was already there, watching one of her cartoons.

"Millie! Go away, we're all gonna play video games!" Coop said, and Millie turned to him defiantly. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, threatening.

"I was here first!"

"But the console is in this room!" Coop argued. Millie opened her mouth, prepared to scream. While Dennis and Fiona covered their ears, Kat quickly jumped in.

"Hey, Millie! You know what you and I should do later?"

Millie's eyes lit up, and her anger at Coop seemed to be forgotten.

"A tea party!" she said, clearly ecstatic at the idea. Kat grinned convincingly, doing his best not to shudder in horror.

"Yeah! But, I don't think any of those costumes will fit me now-"

"That's okay! I'll just go ask Daddy to buy more!" Millie said simply. Without another word, Millie ran out the door to grab her bike. It didn't even take a minute before she was pedaling down the street to where her father worked. Kat sighed in relief and gave a pointed look to Coop, Dennis and Fiona.

"You all owe me."

"Noted," Coop said with a smirk. He headed upstairs to grab the game, leaving Kat with Dennis and Fiona. Kat cleared his throat, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"So... Millie still does tea parties, huh?" Fiona said, an uncertain smile on her face.

"Oh, uh, yeah. She doesn't do them as much, but it's not exactly a rare occurrence."

"I would have thought she'd have outgrown them by now," Dennis said.

"Yeah, but I think it's nice that she's still innocent. I'm sure Burt is happy that she's not growing up too fast. And I know Coop is too, even if he won't admit it," Kat said, with a small smile on his face.

"You think so?" Fiona said, raising an eyebrow. Kat only shrugged, and opened his mouth to respond. But before he could, the sound of footsteps came back down the stairs, and they all looked to see Coop waving the game box with a grin.

Coop plugged in the controllers, and they all began to play. As they played, Kat noted that as long as Coop was in the room, he wasn't so awkward around Dennis and Fiona. He wasn't completely sure why that was, but he knew that it meant that Coop, at least, really did trust him. That was enough for now, he decided.


	7. Chapter 7

Today was the day.

Today, he was finally going to tell him.

Today...

Today he was going to tell his leader about his... 'Accident'.

Kat's stomach churned with nerves as he started up the video call. Coop stood nearby, out of sight, for moral support. He shot him one more nervous smile before he had to face the screen.

" _Who are you?! How did you contact me?!_ " his leader demanded to know.

"It is me," Kat said in English, so Coop would understand at least half of the conversation. "Agent 27-B. I... I have to tell you that, due to a mishap, I am now stuck in this form until I can fix it. Due to this, I must ask that all plans for the Earth invasion be put on hold."

His leader glared. " _You are a complete failure, a worthless excuse for a soldier. You had better fix this soon._ "

Kat felt his heart race, felt himself take all of the comments to heart. He didn't need his leader telling him what he already knew. "I will do my best, sir."

" _Your best is clearly not good enough, but you had better hope that in this one case it will be._ "

With that, his leader hung up. Kat let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding, and Coop walked over with what seemed to be a comforting smile. "I think it went well."

Of course he did. He didn't know what his leader had said. But still, Kat nodded. "It did." No need to upset Coop.

They left the lair, with some struggle - it had been hard enough to get into the lair. Kat made a mental note to spend as little time as possible in there.

"Coop! Kat! Time to go clothes shopping!" Burt shouted from downstairs. "Unless Kat wants to keep wearing Coop's clothes forever!"

He actually wouldn't mind that, but instead of commenting Kat just followed Coop downstairs.

* * *

It shouldn't have surprised Kat so much, but they ended up bumping into Lorne and Harley at the store. Kat shrunk back from them, ducking behind Coop and wishing he'd taken the suggestion to hide his ears under a hat.

"Hey, catboy, what's with the literal catboy?" Lorne asked. "Wait, did I use that right?"

"Yes, Lorne," Coop said, rolling his eyes. "And this is Kat. As in, Mr. Kat, Millie's cat..."

Lorne and Harley gaped.

"Dude!" Harley said, grabbing his brother's arm excitedly. "We should totally get this guy on video! We'd go viral in, like, two seconds!"

Kat clutched Coop's arm tightly, signalling to him that he was getting scared. "No, guys. Leave him alone. Come on, Kat."

Kat relaxed as Lorne and Harley took the hint, leaving the two to their shopping. Coop guided Kat somewhere else to make sure that they wouldn't run into them again, and offered Kat a gentle smile. "Sorry about them."

"No problem," Kat said softly. "It's not your fault."

"Guess not. Still."

Kat shifted, standing closer to Coop and feeling a surge of happiness when he didn't pull away. "Thank you for being concerned for me. I'm... I'm glad that we're friends now."

Coop beamed. "Yeah... Me too."


	8. Chapter 8

"Mister Kat! Would you like some more tea?" Millie asked, holding up the tiny teapot.

"I would, thank you," he said, smiling sweetly and holding out his cup. Millie giggled brightly, and poured him another cup of 'tea'.

"This is a lot more fun now that you can talk and be all gentlemanly!" she commented.

Kat himself would have to disagree - the chair was uncomfortable now, far too small for his new form. But he continued smiling and nodded in agreement. It was for Millie, after all...

And he had something to discuss, anyway, and it wouldn't do for her to be agitated before he began.

"Millie, can I ask you an important question?"

Millie perked up. "Sure, Mister Kat! I'll answer any question you want!"

Kat cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, um..." He fiddled with the sleeve of the over-sized sweater he was wearing - one of his personal favorite finds from their trip to the store. "If I were to say that I wasn't being... Well, completely honest... With the reasons I turned myself human... What would you say?"

Millie tilted her head. "What do you mean? You care about me and Daddy, right?"

"Of course I do-"

"And Coop, right?"

Kat felt himself blush. "W-well... Yes..."

"Then it's fine! Whatever the real reason is, it's fine!"

Kat frowned, ducking his head. "But I don't think it is, Millie. I..." He sighed shakily. "Millie, I have feelings for your brother."

A silence fell between them. One that Kat felt was suffocating him. The birds chirped, Dennis's father was mowing his lawn, and yet all he could hear was endless, suffocating silence.

"What's wrong with that?"

The sudden sound of Millie's voice, combined with the actual words she said, made Kat jump.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with it?"

"I think it's romantic!" Millie said, beaming. "You changed yourself, and abandoned your home, to be with the one you love! That's what happens in all those sappy romantic movies, right? The ones where Daddy makes me skip over some of the scenes for some reason?"

"I, uh, I think you got the message of those movies wrong," Kat said, before quickly shaking his head and turning back to the main topic. "Anyway, it's only romantic if Coop feels the same."

"Well he'd be stupid not to!" Millie declared, before pausing. "Then again, he is pretty dumb..."

"He is not," Kat said almost defensively. "He was smart enough to stop every single one of my plans - whether I was trying to get home, sending cat food to my planet, or preparing for an invasion. He always stopped me. He is _not_ stupid."

Millie raised an eyebrow. "Then there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Millie..." Kat said. He sighed, and ducked his head again. "Millie, I've tried to kill him before. And he's tried to kill  _me_ before."

Millie fell silent at that. Though the secret was now out in the open, no one had yet actively addressed the fact that Kat had, in fact, attempted to kill Coop on multiple occasions. It seemed to stun her, to hear it actually said out loud - like she had just been pretending that they had been play-fighting all that time or something.

However, she recovered enough to say, "He said he trusts you, right?"

Kat managed a nod.

"That's a start, then." Kat looked up, and Millie smiled gently at him. "Now drink your tea before it gets cold! Cold tea is for commoners!"

Kat laughed softly. "Of course, Lady Millie," he said playfully.

A start...

Was Millie actually encouraging his affections?

Was she actually telling him to try and pursue Coop and win his affections?

Well...

It was as good of a sign as he was going to get.

**_Coop Burtonburger will_  ** **_never_  ** **_love me._ **

The note flashed to his mind... And yet, Kat couldn't help but remember the smile Coop had given him at the store.

He hadn't thought he could manage to be friends with Coop, either, and though Kat knew better than to be greedy... Well, it was in his DNA to be greedy.

And if he failed, well, they'd just go back to hating each other, right? It wasn't like he wouldn't be used to such a thing.

It was decided, then. Starting immediately after this tea party with Millie, Kat would make his feelings known to Coop.


	9. Chapter 9

"Let me guess," Coop said, looking at the bonnet that sat atop Kat's head. "Millie? Tea party?"

"Ding ding ding," Kat said, untying the bonnet and tossing it to the side - gently, so as not to wreck it. Millie would be so upset if he wrecked it. Coop, of course, took notice of his gentle care with the old-timey garment, and snickered. Kat rolled his eyes and moved to sit next to Coop on the couch. "What are you watching?"

"Some movie. I dunno, I just turned it on cause I got bored of channel-surfing."

Kat nodded slightly, and turned his head to look at the TV.

His determination from earlier had dwindled, but he was hanging on by a thread - a thread that kept coming closer and closer to snapping. 'I'll tell him during commercials,' became, 'I'll tell him after I make popcorn,' which then became, 'I'll tell him after the movie is over'.

Then the movie ended, and Kat was out of excuses. He could either tell him now or never say anything.

"Coop?"

"Yeah?"

Kat took a deep breath. Now. It had to be now. He deserved to know, if nothing else. He shifted nervously, starting to play with the sleeves of his sweater. He caught sight of a soft smile on Coop's lips as he did so.

That soft, adoring smile... It gave him confidence.

"I was keeping something from you."

Coop blinked, and his smile fell. "Wait, what?"

"When I gave my reasons for wanting to turn human," Kat clarified. "I wasn't telling you all the reasons." He swallowed thickly. "But I want you to know. I need to. You deserve to know."

Coop shifted, looking at Kat more closely. "Okay. Tell me, then."

Kat let out a shaky breath. He averted his gaze, staring at a random spot in the carpet so he won't have to see the look on Coop's face when he says, "I did it because I fell in love with you."

The silence that fell was even more deafening than the one that he'd had with Millie. He desperately broke it, tried to fill the void with useless excuses, "I didn't mean to. Fall in love with you, I mean. And I'm not expecting you to love me back or anything. I just didn't want to fight anymore. I didn't want you to _hate me_ anymore. I didn't like that, knowing that you _hated_ me, Coop. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sor-"

"Kat!"

Kat jumped at the shout. Another apology was on his tongue immediately, but he bites it back, and looked at Coop quietly, waiting for what he had to say.

Coop smiled gently, and reached for Kat's hand. Kat flinched, expecting to be hit or hurt in some way, but Coop ignored it. "I can't say I  _love_ you," Coop said softly. "But, in my defense, it's hard to love someone when you used to want nothing to do with them... When they used to try and kill you."

Kat nodded weakly in understanding. Coop continued smiling. "But I do like you. Right now, at least. Not in the way I like Dennis, but... Not really in the way I used to like Fiona, either. I don't know. It's kind of... An in-between state, I guess." He gently squeezed Kat's hand in between his own two. "What I guess I'm trying to say is... I wanna date you, Kat. I don't fully return your feelings, but I do want to date you."

Kate swallowed thickly. It took him a moment to realize Coop was done talking. Weakly, he nodded. "That's... That's more than I could ask for."

Coop beamed.

But then he frowned.

"Wait, what about Doctor K? Aren't you dating her?"

Kat winced. "I... I've been meaning to break up with her," he mumbled. "I knew it wasn't fair to her, to keep dating her, but... The timing never matched up with, well..."

"Your courage?" Coop helpfully supplied. Kat nodded. "Well, you  _need_ to break up with her now. Okay?"

"Yeah... Okay. I will. I promise."

Kat didn't realize until later that night that Coop had said that he 'used to' like Fiona... And he wondered whether the 'used to' was because of his transformation. Wondered whether he was the cause of Coop's feelings for Fiona disappearing.

Maybe that was too much to hope for, though.


End file.
